


why aren't you dancing?

by justsomejerk



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Bisexual Kyle Valenti, Bros to lovers, Dancing, Featuring Annoying Straight Girls Gushing About How Cute Gay Guys Are, Getting Together, Inspired by Tyler Blackburn and Michael Trevino Dancing on the Gram, Karaoke, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justsomejerk/pseuds/justsomejerk
Summary: Alex unexpectedly drags Kyle into a dance at a dingy karaoke bar in Santa Fe and he finds himself finally coming out to his best friend.
Relationships: Alex Manes/Kyle Valenti
Comments: 13
Kudos: 71





	why aren't you dancing?

**Author's Note:**

> Posted to Tumblr November 24, 2019. 
> 
> Inspired by a video posted to Instagram of Tyler Blackburn and Michael Trevino dancing at Tiny's during S2 filming.

“You guys are so cute together, why aren’t you dancing?”

Kyle is momentarily stunned at the stranger’s intrusive question, though Alex has consumed just enough alcohol tonight to be amused and tilts his head at Kyle with an amused expression.

The bad karaoke performance, and Kyle’s internal panic, almost drowns out Alex’s casual, “Why not?” as he smiles at his friend and offers a subtle shrug.

The girl and her friends squeal at Alex’s enthusiasm and raise their glasses to Alex and Kyle in that familiar sort of camaraderie that only exists after midnight between drunk strangers.

Kyle didn’t even want to come out tonight. They’d just finished a long and disappointing two days of investigating a lead on another Project Shepherd facility and decided to spend Saturday night at a hotel in Santa Fe before driving back to Roswell. Alex is the one who insisted they cheer themselves up by going for drinks at some dive bar called Tiny’s; he claimed to have Air Force friends who were always posting wild Instagram stories from there whenever they passed through New Mexico. It’s rare for Alex to discuss any part of his past with the easy contentment he had in his voice when he talked about his friends, and Kyle would never deny Alex anything that could leave him so happy.

It’s a strange role reversal, and Kyle knows Alex is curious how he morphed into the one coaxing Kyle into socializing, but he’s not prepared to explain.

He’s certainly not prepared to dig into the fact that he lied about why his relationship with Steph ended. That when Alex’s relationship with Forest ended amicably, Kyle jumped the gun and broke up with Steph because he wanted to make sure he was available if Alex was interested. That he convinced himself he was going to risk it - he was going to be brave and tell Alex about his feelings.

Then he showed up at his condo with tears in his eyes, coming straight from yet another devastating encounter with Michael Guerin. Kyle didn’t need to ask for details, but he knew something had happened between them. After months of this forced fake friendship of theirs, of course they would hook up eventually. Kyle was resigned to that reality.

He is brought back to the present from his sad thoughts when Alex bumps his shoulder and calls his name, leaning close into his ear to be heard. “Come on, Kyle. Don’t be a buzzkill. Give the people what they want!”

Kyle gives his head a shake. “Who are you, Alex Manes?” He smiles and hesitantly reaches an arm to settle on his waist, but Alex quickly ducks the touch and instead places his palm in Kyle’s, pulling their locked hands up into the empty space between their bodies.

“I’m a man free of the restraints of Roswell.” Alex is chuckling and he’s leaning his face in close, way too close for Kyle’s comfort, his eyes sparkling. Kyle has unconsciously moved his body away, his other hand hanging awkwardly by his side as Alex looks back at the girls, sharing a laugh with them at their pleased reactions. He soon redirects his attention back to Kyle, and smiles knowingly at him as he places his other hand firmly on Kyle’s hip, tugging him in close and pulling them into an easy sway.

“Are you really not okay with this? Cause we can stop.” Alex asks after a few moments of dancing while Kyle tries his best to avoid leaning his face too closely into Alex, scared of giving himself away. Alex looks at him with genuine concern, clearly questioning if he’d crossed a boundary with his friend.

“What? No! I’m good with it.” Kyle lets himself smile, leaning his upper body away from Alex while still swaying together to whatever awful tune the man onstage is crooning. “I’m just surprised you are. I’m sure those girls mean well, but isn’t it weird and kind of, I don’t know, fetishizing of them to demand two random men dance together for their amusement?”

Alex’s eyes widen and he bursts out laughing, letting his forehead drop to Kyle’s shoulder as his own shoulders shake. Kyle is almost offended until Alex lifts his head and responds: “Kyle Valenti, my straight saviour, saving me from gay fetishization. I never imagined this day would come.”

Kyle looks away and chuckles good-naturedly. He doesn’t respond right away. Instead he lets himself take a few deep breaths before turning his back to Alex, finally allowing himself to hover closer than he has since they started dancing. “I’m not, actually. Straight.”

Alex rolls his eyes and tightens his grip on Kyle’s hip. “Kyle, you’re the most heterosexual person I’ve ever met. Except maybe Max Evans.”

“I’m not.” Kyle tries his best to communicate the seriousness of the message through his eyes, keeping them locked on Alex’s as the amused grin fades from his face and he realizes Kyle is being honest. He eyes flicker down to Kyle’s lips for a moment. The way he licks his own lips seems like an unconscious tick to Kyle’s eyes.

“Kyle, I-” Just as Alex stumbles over his words, the song ends and the crowded bar bursts into cheers and raucous clapping. They stumble apart, Kyle averting his eyes as Alex tries to search his face.

Suddenly the girls are nearby again and one of them cries out for them to kiss.

Kyle jerks his head in their direction, scowling. “Hey, that’s my best friend! What the fu-”

His words are swallowed up by Alex’s lips on his. Alex’s hands cradle his jaw as he pushes his chest against Kyle’s. It takes an extra moment for Kyle to even close his eyes and lean into the kiss, but once he does, he enthusiastically parts Alex’s lips with his tongue and pulls their hips flush together by wrapping his arms around his best friend’s waist.

He loses himself in the kiss, feeling the kind of sparks he’s been waiting to feel forever. He can’t tell if the loud cheering around the bar is for the next karaoke performer or for them, the two men from out of town wrapped around each other, and he doesn’t care.

Eventually they slowly drag their lips apart, Kyle’s hands still clutching his waist and Alex’s thumbs sweeping wide circles up Kyle’s cheekbones.

For a long moment, they just stare into each others’ eyes, barely hearing any of the sounds of the bar around them.

Until that same girl who cheered them on cried out in a tremulous voice, “That was better than any kiss in any romantic comedy ever.”

Kyle groans, closes his eyes and leans his forehead against Alex’s temple, who only smiles knowingly. “We should get out of here before someone starts singing Wonderwall.”

“Ugh, agreed.”

The crooked smile Alex gives him is conspiratorial, hot as hell and all for _him_ as he takes his hand and guides him to the door.

And Kyle knows this is the beginning of something.


End file.
